Arsenal add to executive team with arrival of Richard Garlick
Richard Garlick is to leave the Premier League and join Arsenal as their director of football operations.
The qualified solicitor, who specialises in sports law, was previously with West Brom before he moved to the Premier League in 2018.
Garlick was director of football at the league’s governing body, but Arsenal have announced he will leave his current role and take up a new post at the Emirates.
An official club statement read: “Richard Garlick is joining Arsenal as director of football operations.
“Richard, who is currently director of football at the Premier League and was previously director of football administration at West Bromwich Albion, will join the club in the coming months.
“He will be a member of the Arsenal executive team and will be working closely with technical director Edu, manager Mikel Arteta and academy manager Per Mertesacker.
“His responsibilities will include football operations in the first team and academy, all player contract management and relationships with football’s governing bodies.
“Richard, a qualified solicitor specialising in sports law, has been at the Premier League since 2018. He was previously at West Bromwich Albion for eight years.”
Sokratis offered to Liverpool
Meanwhile, Arsenal have reportedly offered Premier League rivals Liverpool the shock chance to sign one of their defenders.
Despite the fact that Jurgen Klopp claims the injury-hit Reds are unlikely to sign a centre-back, players continue to be linked with a January switch to Anfield.
Both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez have been lost to long-term problems, while Joel Matip remains injury-prone.
Brighton star Ben White and Lille ace Sven Botman are two of a number of names linked with a move to Merseyside.
But in another twist, it has emerged that Arsenal may have offered out-of-favour defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos to the reigning Premier League champions.
Sokratis was left out of the Arsenal squads ahead of this season. Indeed, Mikel Arteta recently admitted that the player is set to leave.
He said when speaking about defenders: “We have Papa that probably is going to leave the club in this window. William [Saliba] has already gone on loan, so we don’t have that many right now.”
Sokratis’s next move remains unclear at this stage. However, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano claims he has been offered to Liverpool.